Funeral Home to Serve Liquor Because Booze Is a Mourner’s Best Friend

A funeral home in Burlington, Wisc. just got a liquor license, so people paying their final respects can do so with one hand holding a tissue to their wet eyes and another cradling a brewski.

Integriuty Funeral Services is the establishment that hopes to use the license to serve alcohol to mourners, beginning as soon as next winter. Ownership also plans to peddle their site as a place to hold parties.

Co-owner Cindi Schweitzer knows this is an out-of-the-box keg idea.

It's not common at all. I would say you see that more maybe in Milwaukee a little bit. Like, they're just starting to get into it. But, again, I really feel like funerals are changing."

Sales and event coordinator Courtney Melby says the business is trying to corner the market on social funerals, which, as far as we know, isn't even a thing.

"It encourages you to have those memories and you don't have the stress of outsourcing and having to go to a second location," Melby says. And that's good because who wants to deal with the agony of trying to find a good bar after leaving a funeral? Mourning alcoholics, rejoice!

There's also the idea that throwing back some booze is a good way to honor the deceased.

"And I think people are just focused now on 'Hey, let's celebrate life. This doesn't have to be a sad drawn-out situation. Let's celebrate that person'," Schweitzer said.